Prome Things to Do

Having been totally awestruck by the Shwedagon in Yangon (see seperate tip), the concept that there was a taller paya in Myanmar absolutely flabbergasted me. However, there is, and it's in Prome (Pyay / Pyi) - it is the Shwesandaw Paya, which constitutes probably the town's biggest (literally and figuratively) tourist attraction. Perhaps it was the fact that much of the structure was covered for maintainance or perhaps it was the surroundings, but I found it much less impressive. Having said that, anything really is going to suffer by comparison.

Shwesandaw is, however, an interesting place to visit, and religiously extremely important, housing a tooth from the Buddha and four strands of his hair amongst other sacred relics. it's probably most people's main reason for visiting this slightly out of the way place, and well worth the effort.

There is also a whole complex of monasteries and minor prayer halls around the main zedi.

I didn't actually go here myself (it was shut the night I was in town) but, if you are at a loose end and fancy a movie, there is a cinema in Prome (Pyay / Pyi). It is on Kan Street, and the posters owuld seem to indicate that it serves up the usual mix of Indian / Burmese films. Can't really offer much more information than that, I'm afraid, I offer it merely as a suggestion.

Should you be inclined to worship there, or perhaps just have a look at the Christian legacy Westerners left in this most multi-religious society, you may want to wander along to the Prome Baptist Church. Situated on Strand Road in a pretty setting, this obviously well-tended building is architecturally nothing special, and certainly not old, but worth a look nonetheless

It really is hard to over-emphasise the importance of Bogyoke Aung San in modern Myanmar history - indeed he could rightly be said to be the founder of the modern state of that name. There are monuments to him everywhere and streets and parks named in his honour. Indeed, I find it hard to think of Western equivalents to the position he occupies in the Burmese psyche - certainly no-one in the UK, perhaps George Washington in the US or more accurately Kemal Ataturk in Turkey.

Anyway, Prome (Pyay / Pyi) has it's own monument and it dominates the central roundaobut in the town. It's not so much a thing to do tip as a thing you can't really avoid tip, but it does afford a good photo opportunity.

1 more image

About the time day slips into night (usually about 1800 in these latitudes), it seems like most of the population of Pyay (Prome, or whatever else you would call it) seem to gather for the evening stroll along Strand road by the River Ayearawaddy (Irrawaddy). To be honest, it's a very pleasant thing to do. It seems to be a thing of the Burmese, the evening stroll, see my tip on a similar phenomenon in Magwe for a further example. The picture will hopefully show you the beauty of the dramatic sunsets you may hope to encounter (my photographic inexperience notwithstanding), and there is the usual bustle of people carrying on riverside life.

A number of the (state-run and expensive) passenger boats also tie up here for the night en route from Yangon to Mandalay (see second photo). In a town that is not overly endowed with obvious tourist attractions, it certainly is a pleasant way to spend an hour in the evening.

Like most other places in Myanmar, Prome (Pyay) has a bustling night market, which centres itself in the area between the main square and the river. As always, there is everything imaginable sold here, and it's an interesting way to spend an hour or so just wandering around.

A small word of warning for tall people, though. The wires which power the lights are slung perilously low, and I nearly managed to garotte myself a couple of times - you have been warned.